Cam Bjork

Graduated in 2015 with a major in Electronic Production & Design (EPD). Principal Instrument: bass guitar.

Position: Business Development Representative ( business-to-business salesperson) at Bevspot. Cam works in the office, cold-calling restaurants/bars to get them interested in Bevspot’s software, which makes it much easier to track their inventory of alcoholic drinks and order the appropriate amounts at the appropriate times. He partners with a field representative, and earns a base salary plus commission.

Update October 2016: Shortly after the interview left Bevspot to take on a similar Business Development Representative (business-to-business sales) role at Nexthink.

Overview: Cam initially went to UMASS-Boston to study business, thinking he’d go into software sales like his father. However, he transferred to Berklee because he wanted to explore his creative/musical side. Cam worked various restaurant jobs (busboy, server) while in college. By his last year at Berklee he decided that, while he loved music, he wasn’t convinced it would make a good career path. His father got him a part-time job doing cold-call sales during his last semester, which went fine. Shortly before graduation he applied to another software company where his father knew people and could make an introduction. He got the job and started right after graduation. However, he didn’t feel he fit in well with the culture at that company, so some months later when a friend from Berklee who worked at Bevspot mentioned that they were looking for Business Development Reps, Cam expressed interest. They talked, and he got the job–Cam’s restaurant industry experience also helped.

Choice quotes: “Sales is very difficult, very challenging. But I view every call as a sort of performance. using that creative musician mentality of trying new things and not getting too deep into my comfort zone. A pitch that might work with one person won’t with another.”
“Sales has different techniques, and there are things you can do to make yourself better, but it’s mostly in the way you present yourself. Believe in yourself and project that every way you can–tone of voice, how you walk–be confident. Ask open-ended questions; for example, ‘What problems do you have as a business? How are you trying so solve them?’ Be conversational, but also concise.”

“At Berklee, I had to present very personal stuff (my music) to my peers and people I barely knew. It toughened me up for the sales role. I’m up for pushing forward even if someone’s trying to get me off the phone.”

“EPD gave me a great understanding about the relationship between software & hardware. I had to learn about so many different systems. It made me good at picking up software quickly, which has helped a lot with my software sales jobs.”

“Most musicians never get commercial traction, and that’s OK because at the end of the day they’re still creatively expressing themselves and contributing to this world. It’s not giving up; your relationship with music just changes.”

“If I ever want to to get my music out there, my sales experience has given me more of an ability to push my music to record labels.”